Android: Researchers claim to have discovered the single most efficient exercise regimen, which is a form of very rapid interval training you perform on a stationary bike. Bike Interval Clock guides you through the workout with audio-visual cues so you don't have to spend 20 minutes thinking about exercise and can focus on something else.

If you try this routine with a standard timer, you have to look at the thing for 20 minutes and can't really do much else. I spent an afternoon writing Bike Interval Clock so I could watch TV, read a book, or do some work while exercising and also avoid thinking about how I'm exercising (which is never fun and makes it feel longer). Bike Interval Clock allows you to ignore this incredibly rapid interval routine by providing a clock that not only counts down from 20 minutes for you, but also offers audio-visual cues so you can see and hear when you're supposed to speed up or slow down. It works like this:

The countdown begins when you tap the start button. You can pause the clock by pressing stop at any time, restart it by pressing start again, and reset the counter to 20 minutes by pressing the reset button. (If you've ever used a timer before, this shouldn't come as a surprise.)

You start with your first 12 second interval, in which you bike slowly.

After 12 seconds the screen will turn green and play a "speed up" sound to indicate that you need to bike quickly.

After 8 seconds the screen will turn yellow and play a "slow down" sound to indicate you should bike slowly.

This process will complete until your 20 minutes are up.

After using the app for a minute, you'll recognize the sounds and know when to switch without looking. The app will run in the background, too, so you can use your phone and hear the sounds at the same time. I made Bike Interval Clock for myself to make this exercise routine earlier, but wanted to share it with others because I thought it would be useful. Hopefully it will help you if you want to pursue interval training on a stationary bike as well.

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Important Note: This is, for all intents and purposes, my first Android app. I don't have a drawer full of Android devices to test it with, so it might not work perfectly for everybody. I'd like to add new features, such as custom intervals, and fix bugs that come up. I'm posting the app now because 1) I think it's useful in its current form (I've been using it myself and it makes this specific interval training much easier for me) and 2) I want your help to make it better. While this is a side project and I'm not going to have a ton of time to work on it, I'll try to do the best I can. Please feel free to give it a try and share your thoughts and ideas (as well as bugs) in the discussions below. (Also, I'll eventually make an iPhone version if people want one, but want to get things in better shape before going through Apple's rigorous submission process.)

iOS Users (and Others): If you want something that'll work on your phone, too, reader Dinesh Jamwal made a web-based timer that works great in the browser.